Think Red and Coca-Cola’s bright colours may come to mind. In fact, it is suggested that Coca-Cola has even influenced the colours of Christmas!

What about the colour Brown? You’d have noticed that it is often used by coffee and chocolate brands, of course. But there’s another unusual contender for “owning” the colour Brown – UPS, one of the major logistics companies in USA.

UPS started using the colour Brown as early as 1916. At that time, it was considered that the colour represented luxury and class. All through its long history, UPS has consistently used Brown in all forms of branding. So much so, that it is sometimes referred to as the Big Brown! UPS’s ownership of the colour Brown is not incidental, but a deliberate strategy. In the early 2000s, the company launched a massive campaign where it aggressively promoted it’s tagline “What can Brown do for you?”, and indirectly claimed “ownership” for the colour Brown.

In summary, HOUSE COLOURS are a fantastic way to increase BRAND RECOGNITION, but it cannot be incidental to the main strategy. House Colours must be thought through, used consistently and be integrated in the central branding strategy.

For more guidance on how to use COLOURS to aid BRAND RECOGNITION, check out Brand Management for Everyone by Rajesh Srivastava on https://konversations.com/courses/overview/9.